Kevin Durant and Team USA trounced Australia on Thursday in the men's basketball semifinals to move into the finals and just one victory away from a fourth straight gold in the Olympics.
The win was a measure of revenge against a team that had upset the United States in an exhibition game in Las Vegas last month. The Americans, champions at the previous three Games, got off to a rocky start, shooting poorly and racking up fouls that let Australia build a 15-point lead in the second quarter.
But the U.S. team rallied in the second half, led by Durant, opening with 12 unanswered points. A barrage of three-pointers and dunks widened the point gap to 97-78 by the final buzzer.